The September Position Report for the US almond industry showed a shipment of 85,447.73MT for the month. This is down 17.2% compared to the 125,645.09MT of September 2021. YTD shipments are down 4.21% and crop receipts are down 8%. The total commitments this year are down 7% compared with the same period last year. California’s uncommitted inventory is up 42%.
In summary, both the US domestic and export markets had a poor shipment month in September. Even India had another weak month after California expected it to be one of the more active markets considering earlier lacklustre numbers. India is now down 39% for the year so far. California needs to build momentum and keep moving volumes, especially considering the large carryover volume from 2021. A stable purchase price level has now been found and buyers are quite active with coming into the market. The Californian industry on the other hand is trying to push the market up. However, the market is likely to see some weakness until next month. The short-term upside is going to be limited.